The arsenal hidden in Vienna has exposed a network that has been operating undetected across Europe for years. The discovery adds another layer to the investigation into Hamas’s operational arm extending beyond the Middle East. According to the Austrian Directorate for State Security, the weapons transited from Germany via the Balkan route, which for years has provided Islamist militants with a corridor from Lebanon and Turkey to the heart of the continent. This is the same route that, after October 7, 2023, allowed Hamas emissaries to reach Vienna, Berlin, and Brussels. From the Balkan route to the Mediterranean, the terrorist group’s network now moves discreetly but steadily, exploiting regulatory loopholes and the cover of “humanitarian” organizations. Logistically, European intelligence agencies are reconstructing a patchwork of support and safehouses.
The most active centers are located in central and northern Italy, in the state of Vienna, in Hesse, in Hamburg and Berlin, in Molenbeek in Belgium, in the Ile-de-France region, and on the French Riviera. In Great Britain, the network of itinerant preachers (tabligh) provides cover for Hamas propagandists in Liverpool, London, and Birmingham. These are all hubs in a system that combines political activism, religious assistance, and operational logistics. Investigative sources explain that Italy is not a base for military operations, but rather for propaganda and fundraising. Here, Hamas can count on sympathizers deeply rooted in the social fabric, many of whom arrived in the 1980s and 1990s with the status of “political refugees.” This same matrix links the European networks, born from the compromise of the 1970s between Western governments and Palestinian groups. In Italy, the Moro Act and similar agreements in Germany reportedly allowed the entry of militants in exchange for renouncing attacks on national soil. Over time, this web of unwritten agreements has developed into support networks now reactivated in the form of charitable organizations and NGOs. According to the American think tank FDD and the European network Elnet, approximately thirty organizations and individuals spread across the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands constitute Hamas’s civil backbone. These charities organize conferences, fundraisers, and missions to the Gaza camps, maintaining direct contact with the movement’s leaders. When one organization is closed down or sanctioned, another reappears under a different name, maintaining the same contacts. Indeed, Hamas’s ecosystem is supported by two pillars: propaganda and money.
NGOs and cultural centers promote pro-Palestinian demonstrations and fundraising campaigns, which are then transferred to Gaza through intermediaries. In the Netherlands, Amin Abu Rashed was arrested for sending over five million euros to Hamas-linked organizations. Meanwhile, in Belgium and Italy, foundations continue to operate despite reports from other countries’ intelligence services. Recent investigations show that the network is not limited to financial support. Between 2023 and 2025, weapons caches and sleeper cells were discovered in Bulgaria, Denmark, and now Austria. In Germany, three men (a Lebanese, a German, and a Syrian) are in prison for planning attacks against Jewish communities and NATO bases. In Vienna, where the seized weapons were allegedly destined for the same network, authorities speak of “a Hamas plan to reactivate its European structure by replicating the Lebanese model.” To all this, partly due to the pro-Pal demonstrations that began after October 7, 2023, European countries are reacting in a disjointed manner. Berlin has banned the Samidoun network (supporting Palestinian prisoners) and prohibited any activity linked to Hamas. The Netherlands has arrested its main contacts, but suspicious organizations continue to operate in Italy and Belgium. The EU Council launched a sanctions regime for the group’s financiers in 2024, but implementation remains patchy, likely due to fear of retaliation.
